>>The authors state that this result appears to correlate with those obtained using a slatted rack. In the same issue of American Bee Journal, pp. 747-476, Dr. Keith Delaplane at the University of Georgia reports on a three-year study using the slatted rack. In this investigation, the modification did produce more brood near the hive entrance, but did not result in a general brood production increase when compared to controls. I have never used slatted racks but the ones I saw pictured in catalogs had 10 slats (that line up with 10 frames in a standard hive body). I know a lot of folks use only 9 frames per hive body (to let the bees draw out deeper cells to make decapping easier). It occurred to me that if one were to look down in between the 9 frames, because of the wider spacing, one would see some of the slat tops underneath. Could some varroa land there and catch a ride back on the next bee ? Waldemar ---------------------------------------------------- Sign Up for NetZero Platinum Today Only $9.95 per month! http://my.netzero.net/s/signup?r=platinum&refcd=PT97